Publishing rights for The Smiths’ and Morrissey’s catalogs now up for grabs

Looking for a new investment opportunity? Morrissey has announced, through his customary outlet, the quasi-official fansite True To You, that his 30-year publishing deal with Warner-Chappell Music “has come to an end” — and that he’s now shopping his solo catalog and The Smiths’ catalog to any new publishers that might be interested.

Below is the full message posted Monday night, including an email address for inquiries.

It’s not immediately clear how Moz’s stake in the Smiths’ publishing relates to Johnny Marr’s.

2 June 2014

Publishing.

Morrissey’s 30-year publishing term with Warner-Chappell Music has come to an end. If any publishing company has any interest in making a new offer for Morrissey’s solo and Smiths catalogues, they should please contact ivoryenquiries@outlook.com.

Brian, a smart person would keep 100% of their publishing once their deal lapsed, and then sign an administration deal with a publishing company who would handle deals and keep only 10 to 15% in admin fees. I suspect Morrissey is more interested in a big, fat monetary advance than he is in retaining his rights.